Avi Quotes & Sayings

Pal, if you don't take some wrong turns, you aren't going anywhere. — Avi

For heaven's sake, don't write writing. Write reading! — Avi

In another corner Nathaniel murmured to Maura, "You must know, Miss O'Connell, I ... I loved you even before I saw you. It was your father's way of talking."
Maura shook her head. "You mustn't say that. It's not my dear da's words that should do the wooing," she said gently. "I'd rather be cared for ... for what I am myself."
Nathaniel nodded. "I'll not say more. But I will tell you what I think I'm going to do."
And what is that
I'm going to California to search for gold."
And do you think, Nathaniel Brewster, you'll find it?"
I do. But it won't be as fine as what's here," Nathaniel said with a shy smile. "Maura O'Connell ... will ... will you ... wait for me to come back?"
Maura was silent.
Will you?"
You're a fine young man, Mr. Brewster. I can only say I'll not forget you. — Avi

There is a limit to how much a seer wishes to see. — Avi

Now give me a kiss, say you love me and off you go."
"Sure, Aunt Lu," I said, and I gave her the kiss she wanted. Then I ran out and caught my bus. I didn't say I loved her. I guess I did. But asking someone to say they love you
and she always asked
is like buying yourself a birthday present. It's more than likely exactly what you want. But it must make you feel awfully sad to get it. — Avi

Nothing is quieter or has more secrets, I thought, than a book that's closed. — Avi

The boys, hearing this declaration, allowed not the slightest hint that they had ever heard anything like it before. — Avi

A lot of people think inspiration means magic. But really, inspiration means to put life into something. — Avi

My mind has become somewhat like a book. What I mean by that is that when I look at the world, I see it as a story. — Avi

Edward," said Avon with a sigh, "maybe I shouldn't be a writer or an author. I had no idea it would be so hard."
"Be a reader then."
"Is that easier?"
"Actually, it's much harder."
"I don't understand," said Avon.
"Avon, what's writing? Scribbled letters on paper. It's the reader who has to make sense of it. — Avi

I took a deep breath. 'For you I've got something better than love.'
What's that?'
I ... trust you.'
Why?'
You'll never hurt me.'
Thank you.'
But ... '
But, what?'
I said, 'That means I'll hurt you.'
Why?'
'Cause, like I said, you'll never hurt me back. — Avi

The cure for unhappiness is this; people always need more than they say. — Avi

With great care the two creatures edged to the very tip. From there they looked out at the cloudless sky.
"The end of the branch," said Avon, mostly to himself.
"The beginning of the sky," said Edward, mostly to HIMself. — Avi

Do you ever smile, boy?" he demanded. "If you can't laugh and smile, life is worthless. Do you hear me?" he yelled. "It's NOTHING! — Avi

All I can think is that when you torment a person ... the soul dies. When the soul dies, I suppose mercy dies, too. — Avi

For some 25 years, I worked as a librarian, first at the New York Public Library, then at Trenton State College in New Jersey. My life has always been with, around, and for books. — Avi

To love a man, you must know his sins.'"
"At the Edge of the World. — Avi

Understanding that, I know I have not seen a ghost. I am not mad. It is something more extraordinary than that. I have made a mistake! — Avi

I definitely have an affection for detective fiction, and when I first read Dashiell Hammett's 'The Maltese Falcon,' that book and its author made an enormous impression on me as a reader and a writer, and led me to other hard-boiled American writers like Raymond Chandler and Ross McDonald, among many. — Avi

She can be fierce, but for all of that she's actually kindness itself. — Avi

In my books I try to tell a good story, not give messages. — Avi

He was alive and wished that he was dead, but not being dead, he was scared that he might die. — Avi

Writers don't write writing, they write reading. When I was a kid, I read four or five books a week. And that is how I became a writer. — Avi

Know her? Of course I know her. Everyone knows Poppy. She's famous. — Avi

It's wonderful how much you can learn by just being quiet and listening. Sometimes you even learn the truth - or what seems to be the truth. — Avi

The cure for unhappiness ... It's this: What a person needs is always more than they say. — Avi

A mouse has to do what a mouse has to do — Avi

Writing is my profession. Photography is my hobby. — Avi

Listen and watch the world around you. Don't be satisfied with answers others give you. — Avi

To resist a challenge is to resist life itself -Mogwat Of all challenges the greatest is to be yourself. Truth is often painful to speak but soothing to live. — Avi

I JUST FINISHED READING WOLF RIDER SUCH A GOOD BOOK...YOU HAVE TO TO READ IT!!!! — Avi

The important thing was that he was there, as much a part of the rock, the water, the beach, the house, as they had come to be part of him. — Avi

I was famous for not being like everybody else. I loved it. — Avi

BEAR WAS DEAD. That sweet and kindly man, the wisest I had ever known, the one I considered friend, teacher, and even father, was gone. Would — Avi

Magic," her mother said, "is a kind of hope. And wishes are like dreams. When we have them, we can make things change. Without, we stay the same. — Avi

I want my readers to feel, to think, sometimes to laugh. But most of all I want them to enjoy a good read. — Avi

I won't let anyone tell me what to think. — Avi

Everybody has ideas. The vital question is, what do you do with them? My rock musician sons shape their ideas into music. My sister takes her ideas and fashions them into poems. My brother uses his ideas to help him understand science. I take my ideas and turn them into stories. — Avi

Every night, I was read to. Every Friday, we were taken to the library. I always received at least one book for my birthday. I have a few of them yet. Early on, I had my own collection of books. I loved to read. Still do. — Avi

Then the silence came back, that awful silence that seemed to just take over.
In that silence I kept hearing what I had said
heard it repeating itself over and over again like a stuck record. I wanted it to stop. I didn't want to say things like that anymore. I was sick of that kind of lying. I wished I could say something real.
But the silence was too big. — Avi

I don't like the idea of a book being a test or being used for a test. The way - in my opinion - to make good readers is to let kids choose their own books and not test them. — Avi

A sailor may choose the wind to ride out of seaport, but the wind has a mind of it's own. — Avi

It seems to me that you won't have had a proper series of adventures, unless you've gone through thick and thin. — Avi

A sailor chooses the wind that takes the ship from a safe port. Ah, yes, but once you're abroad, as you have seen, winds have a mind of their own. Be careful, Charlotte, careful of the wind you choose. — Avi

In elementary school, I did well in science, but I was a poor writer. When I got to high school, I failed all my courses. — Avi

Remember, lad," said the newt, "If it's going to be tommorow, it might as well be today. And if it is today, it could have been yesterday. If it was yesterday, then you're over and done with it, and can write your own book. Think about that. — Avi

The more men see of the world, the bigger their hearts — Avi

When dark, it's bright, when brightest, it's gone. When gone for good, so will I be.
What am I? — Avi

The truth is I don't watch TV at all. It bores me. — Avi

You can't have adventures without poetry. — Avi

Writing takes a lot of patience. It usually takes me a year to write a book. One time, it took me 14 years to write a book, not that I worked on it every day. — Avi

Don't assume that because everyone believes a thing, that it is right or wrong. Reason things out for yourself. Work to get answers on your own. Understand why you believe things. — Avi

Love is 'evil' spelled backward
with an i instead of an o. — Avi

An egg is not likely to grow on its own," said the crow crossly.
"She's right," said Edward. "I've never seen a grown-up egg."
"The egg doesn't grow!" cried the bird. "It's what's inside that grows."
"Then why don't you sit on what's inside?" Avon asked.
"Because there's a shell."
"What makes you so sure there's something inside?" asked Edward.
"It's always been that way!" insisted the crow. — Avi

When bright, it's dark, when darkest, it's gone. When gone for good, so are you.
What am I? — Avi

I was born in New York City, along with a twin sister. I am five minutes older than Emily. It was Emily, for reasons no one knows - she certainly doesn't - who called me Avi. It stuck. It's the only name I use now. — Avi

An enormous fish poked his head out of the water and stared at them. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"Avon Snail, at your service," said Avon.
"Edward Ant," said Edward. "But I am not at your service. — Avi

Would you believe it? Would you believe it. Okay, this is WLRB, all-talk radio. Take a short break, then come right back to talk about whatever you want. Man, but I'm telling you: what's happening to this country! — Avi

It's said truth is stranger than fiction, but fiction makes truth a friend, not a stranger. — Avi

It makes it harder to write if I watch a lot of television, because television is not like a written story. — Avi

I kept asking myself if I felt different, if I was different. The answer was always yes. I was no longer nothing ...
How odd, I thought; it had taken my mother's death, Father Quinel's murder, and the desire of others to kill me to claim a life of my own. — Avi

The greater a man's - or boy's - ignorance of the world, the more certain he is that he sits in the center of that world. — Avi

It all depends on you. If you want it to be different,it will be different. Don't look at the world with your eyes but with your heart. — Avi

When a young man talks to an old man, it is always a gift. — Avi

People are freer in America. But there are more tears. — Avi

The last time I looked," Avon pointed out, "the world isn't bigger than the universe, though I'm willing to admit I've never actually measured it. — Avi

There are those who'd rob a blind man of his eyelashes if they could. — Avi

Laurence, not sure what to do, remained standing below the steps.
"And who is this?" Mrs Hamlyn asked.
Patrick looked back. "His name is ... Laurence, mistress."
Mrs Hamlyn scrutinized the boy before her. "Where does he come from?" she said, finding him scrawny and dirty.
"He came to America on the same ship we did."
Mrs Hamlyn pursed her lips. "He's very ragged. Is he from Ireland too?"
"England."
"But a friend of yours?"
Laurence and Patrick looked at each other.
"Is he?" Mrs Hamlyn asked again.
Patrick said, "He saved my life, twice."
"Did he? Then he must be a good friend indeed. — Avi

A green summer leaf
Embraced by the frozen ice
Keeps memories warm — Avi

I think you become a writer when you stop writing for yourself or your teachers and start thinking about readers. — Avi

To become a novelist, the most crucial thing one must do is read, read and read again - gradually you begin to think like a writer. Ideas are not found - they are shaped. — Avi

Pal, if you ever look up the word right in a dictionary, you'll find it's one of the oldest words in the English language. Even so, people have never stopped arguing about what it means. I suspect they always will. — Avi

Something Zachariah told me filled my mind and excited my heart: "A Sailor," he said, "chooses the wind that takes the ship from safe port ... but winds have a mind of their home. — Avi

Not for nothing are they called deadlines. By the time you reach the final line, sir, you are indeed dead. — Avi

Let's agree then ... if you're about to come to a conclusion, you'll head off in another direction. You might even find your own voice. — Avi